Productive Group Work: How to Engage Students, Build Teamwork, and Promote Understanding

by Nancy Frey, Douglas Fisher, Sandi Everlove

The benefits of collaborative learning are well documented—and yet, almost every teacher knows how group work can go restless students, unequal workloads, lack of accountability, and too little learning for all the effort involved. In this book, educators Nancy Frey, Douglas Fisher, and Sandi Everlove show you how to make all group work productive group with all students engaged in the academic content and with each other, building valuable social skills, consolidating and extending their knowledge, and increasing their readiness for independent learning. The key to getting the most out of group work is to match research-based principles of group work with practical action. Classroom examples across grade levels and disciplines illustrate how to
* Create interdependence and positive interaction

* Model and guide group work

* Design challenging and engaging group tasks

* Ensure group and individual accountability

* Assess and monitor students' developing understanding (and show them how to do the same)

* Foster essential interpersonal skills, such as thinking with clarity, listening, giving useful feedback, and considering different points of view.
The authors also address the most frequently asked questions about group work, including the best ways to form groups, accommodate mixed readiness levels, and introduce collaborative learning routines into the classroom. Throughout, they build a case that productive group work is both an essential part of a gradual release of responsibility instructional model and a necessary part of good teaching practice.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction, Professional Development

128 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2009

About the author

Nancy Frey, Ph.D., is an educator and Professor of Literacy in the Department of Educational Leadership at San Diego State University.
Shehas taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels and is a teacher-leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College.

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Reviews

[Carrie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is exactly the text I was looking for! After a frustrating year trying to get students to effectively work on projects in groups and failing, I decided I'd better seek some advice from the experts. However, there wasn't a lot out there - at least that I could find AND that looked reliable. Until I found this book. This book had everything that I wanted. It shares what the key components of productive group work are, the neuroscience behind each component, activities that develop each component, and multiple examples of the activities being used in classrooms in elementary, middle, and high schools. There are forms to help you get started, Q&A on all the questions teachers typically ask about group work, and a list of questions to ask yourself as you get started. It's got it all!!! I highly recommend this text for any teacher who has tried to make collaborative learning work and failed, or who just believes it can be done better.

[As3 Na70 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book from the introduction part! No emphatic opening could get better than positioning yourselves as teachers and acknowledging the constant challenges in the classrooms when it comes to collaborative learning.
The format of each principle in collective work described through each chapter also helps me to digest the content more efficiently. My favorite parts will be the neural aspect and classroom examples by three teachers from different grade.
I highly recommend this book and definitely keep it on the shelf for constant access for reference.

[Jontanner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good combination of brain research, practical advice, ready-to-use tools, and real-world stories illustrate how to make groupwork, well, work. Also touches on the need for differentiation and gives a good definition of it. (One of my pet peeves is that everybody uses the term "differentiation" but few people seem to use it correctly.)

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far the most practical book on group work I've read. Some books give gimmicks, but from the standpoint of what builds thinking in students and the challenges teachers face, I thought this was concise yet comprehensive.

[Brooke M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read that provided useful ideas and examples for my classroom. The book definitely changed my approach to having students work in groups.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Professional reading. Good book about how to get students to work in productive collaborative groups.

[Navasota ISD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Available for checkout at NELC.

[Mitzi Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are a lot of practical tips in this little gem of a book.

[David Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

i've started to use these practices for my group lessons.

[Tarek Mareh · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good i love it

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful and well-written book on a topic of interest to me professionally.

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished this book as part of a book study. We had some great discussions based on the ideas presented in the book. I would recommend it for teachers of all grade levels.

[Sara Westhead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really practical help in incorporating effective group work in the classroom, backed with scientific facts.